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Verstappen Shrugs off Norris’ Concerns About McLaren F1 Car: A New Rivalry in the 2025 Season?

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
March 21, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 2 mins read
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Verstappen Shrugs off Norris’ Concerns About McLaren F1 Car: A New Rivalry in the 2025 Season?

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 21: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on March 21, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202503210128 // Usage for editorial use only //

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Max Verstappen, the Dutch driving prodigy, couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard about Lando Norris’s grievances with the McLaren F1 car. Despite Norris’s claims that the car doesn’t align with his driving style, Verstappen’s humour stems from the fact that Norris, against all odds, managed to pull off an impressive win at the Australian Grand Prix. This victory disrupted Verstappen’s previously unchallenged reign at the top of the Drivers’ standings, a position he held for a staggering 1,039 days.

Norris, a key player tipped for this year’s championship, commenced his F1 2025 crusade with a bang, clinching pole position ahead of the runner-up McLaren of Oscar Piastri. He went on to secure the race win, surpassing Verstappen and marking the first time since the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix that Verstappen has not led the Drivers’ standings.

Though many have touted Norris as the favourite for the championship, the Briton remains unfazed by the speculation. “I’m not thinking about it,” he stated prior to the Chinese Grand Prix. “I don’t really care about it. It shouldn’t change anything I do. It shouldn’t change what the team does. I had one good weekend. People need to calm down a little bit. I’m focused on trying to do the same here.”

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Nonetheless, Norris’s triumph hasn’t completely masked his dissatisfaction with the MCL39’s performance. He openly admitted that the vehicle doesn’t match his driving style, noting that it embodies characteristics that he doesn’t favour and he must adjust his driving to compensate.

“I’ve got to a point where I’ve just accepted that you can’t have really a car that suits your driving,” the 25-year-old elaborated. “I stopped maybe asking so much for exactly what I want and more just willing to do whatever makes the car quicker. It’s similar characteristics [to last year’s car], and some of those characteristics I don’t like and do not suit the way I want to drive in an attacking way.”

Despite this, Norris understands his role as a driver. He believes in his ability to drive the car better than others, even if it means making personal compromises. “The car can still win races. It’s not like if I don’t have what I need, it’s bad. I can still get the most out of the car if I don’t have what I want. But there’s just compromises.”

When informed of Norris’s remarks about his car, Verstappen was quick to respond, asking if Norris was possibly joking. He was careful not to draw comparisons between their scenarios, stating, “For sure, last year, when we started, I was already complaining that some bits were not to my liking, but we were still winning.”

Despite finishing less than a second behind Norris in the Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen acknowledges that Red Bull needs to step up to the plate if they hope to compete with McLaren. The reigning champion cited tyre overheating and issues with bumps and kerbs as areas for improvement.

Overall, Verstappen seems to be taking the competition in stride, recognizing that improvements are necessary and appreciating McLaren’s strengths. “They are good everywhere,” he admitted. The stage is set for an exhilarating showdown between these two exceptional drivers in the races to come.

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